The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-05-04

checked, and the importer, rather tina
lose his market, contents himself with
smaller profit, without materially redueln
the quantity he had previously sent"
Again, as regards q second class OF In
ports: ~ Fis p''' W
The case is widely different, particul arl,
in recent years, when production has q
greatly exceeded consumption, for foreign
ers only send Us their surplus stocks ant
must sell for what they can get, go "''
WHO PAYS THE DUTY?
The evidence Of eminent manufacturer
Ia the reports Of the Royal Commission Ii
then adduced to prove not only that the
consumer does not pay the whole OF the
duty, but often, when the rate Ia low, no
portion Of 1t. This Is shown to be the
case In the Manchester manufactures, the
piano trade and particularly In tho ship
ment OF wheat to France from 1851 to 1880.
For the shipment OF wheat to England
and France; getting the same price In both
markets, found his French account OF sales
debited with q duty Of 8,. on each quarter;
and as the prices have averaged the same
for thirty years, this n fact Ia Of itself
decisive Of the question" Again: "Mr.
Hepworth, Of D%ewsbury, at the meeting
Of the York Chamber OF Agriculture,
stated that when the United States tariffs
weyeincresssa, land again increased, his
firm, In order to compete, had to decrease.
and still again to decrease, It's prices to
retain It's custom.' Does this look as
though the American consumers were
paying the import duties 2"
Even the final report OF the Royal Com.
mission admitted there can be a little
doubt that the obstruction to our trade,
caused by the growing stringency Of com.
mercial policy OF thoae (Protectionist) |
countries, tends to make 1t far less profit.
able" "This," Mr.. Williamson remarks.
IRON the Free Trade majority who sign
cd that report, Is remarkable. We have
understood them to hold, as an indisput.
able axiom, that there never wa a duty
which was not paid by the consumers,
Here is candid admission that while the
trade Ia larger, the profits are less. owing
to the growing s~tringency of the CONNER.
cial policy-in other words, the importer
has TO pay more for the privilege Of COM
peting, In the foreign market. He pays
the duty, and not the consumer"
Mr.. poRrKR's REPORTS.
MI. Williamson lays particular stress
upon the corroborative evidence he finds
in the report to the United States Tariff
Commission on the working OF the Free
trade system in England and the Pro-
lection system OF the Continent by Mr..
Robert z. Porter, who has subsequently
pursued his Investigations abroad as a cor.
respondent. II was assured" said MI.
Porter, "bya score OF manufacturers when
travelling in Lancashire and Yorkshire
that the recent increase in the French
tariff came out Of their pockets and not
the consumers Of France; that thew were
compelled to sell their goods in France at
the same price as before the increase of
duty. In Germany ! found precisely the
Same state OF things"
Richard Golden made in 1913 this bonn
bastic prediction:
you have no more right to doubt that
the Jun will rise in the heavens to.mor.
than you have to doubt that In leas
than ten years from the time when Eng
land ~insuEuIatea the glorious era Of com.
merclal freedom, eyory civilized CONNER
clal community will DO free.traders to the
backbone" Eight years later be de-
ciarcd That THE time was at hand when
other nations would be compelled, by self.
interest and by the reality OF our prosper
lty, to follow our example and adopt free
q
ut would be safer" writes Mr.. Will.
hanson. ITO predict: THE time is at hand
when England will be compelled, by self
interest and the reality Of the prosperity
such nations as America and Germany, |
follow their example and adopt protec-